the media the fourth state us government pos 2041
TRANSCRIPT
For Discussion...
Why is a free press essential to democracy ? How free do you think our media is?
How many hours a week do you watch TV? How do you think TV has affected your thinking about gov & politics? About social justice? About crime? The economy? If you turned off your TV/Internet for a month, would it bother you?
Discussions cont’d
By the time you graduated from high school, you
will have spent more time watching TV than in
class (p121 Welch)
Freedom of speech is an amendment right & one
which is fiercely guarded by American media
Despite the large numbers of media –radio, satellite,
electronic, printed which exist in the US, there is very
little variation in how and the content of what’s
reported on national issues
Types of Media
Of all the choice of media, television dominates
As a result, constant attempts by gov to manipulate their coverage
Eg. Media coverage of the war, but not of coffins coming home
Local news tend to be more friendly to politicians
Radio repeats headlines without visuals
Importance of print media
3 reasons why news paper & print media
remain main news sources
Broadcast media rely on leading print media to
set their own news agendas
Print media provides extensive analysis
Educated & influential folks rely on print media
to influence and inform their views on social,
political & economic decisions
Immediacy of internet
Internet news continue to challenge traditional media its immediacy, blogs are shaping mainstream political
views
Historically news paper - the dominant news source
Was not until 1920s with the advent of radio and the idea of “mass media “ was introduced
TV came in 1950’s & has been the dominant & central means of broadcasting since
Atomization of Media- the fringe media
Despite the dominance & concentration
of media, the introduction of cable &
internet has led to media catering to
narrow viewing markets eg.
Bloggers
ethnic cable TV
C-SPAN
Major newspapers post their news on the internet
1/3 of Americans report hat they obtain their
news from late night comedies
Even politicians make regular appearances on
late night comedies
The goal of fringe media is entertainment;
therefore less emphasis is laced o accuracy,
quality of analysis
Some pay for their stories
Media Power in American Politics
News influence politics Can make or break chances of politicians
Can shape public opinion
Relationship between media &
politicians considered both: symbiotic – relationship between media
politicians work to mutual advantage of both
Adversarial – the relationship is not mutual &
more likely antagonistic
Leaks in media
Popular with media, especially to garner
readerships/viewers or to discredit someone
Sometimes politicians or depts. leak info to
media
Popular leak in recent years: CIA spy Valerie
Plame, whose identity was released to the press
Usually a disclosure is made about politicians, major
govt’s decisions
Media shaping events
Media has far reaching political
consequences in America society
Media shaped 3 major events
Media’s role in Civil Rights Movements
Media’s coverage compelled Nixon to pull
out of Vietnam
Media was critical in breaking the Watergate
Affairs
Sources of Media Power
Agenda Setting
Who sets the agenda on what receives coverage?
Issues compete for coverage. Who decides?
Media has to be persuaded that item is newsworthy
Framing
How media influences how events & issues are interpreted by the public
Priming
Process of preparing the public to take a particular view of an event
Citizens rarely meet their politicians in person, yet they frame their image of them based on media presentation
The Rise of Adversarial Journalism
Pre Vietnam, politicians enjoyed a cordial
relationship with the media & received positive
coverage
Media’s criticism of Nixon’s position on Vietnam
Popular coverage of Pres.Bush after 911
But his decision to go to war in Iraq was
severely criticized by media
Similarly Pres. Obama visiting the beaches of
Louisiana after BP oil spill
Regulation of the Broadcast Media - FCC
Fed. Communications Commission (FCC)
Gov does not control media, but
regulates contents, licensing, ownership
of broadcast media
Print media free from gov interference,
but still regulated by FCC
1996 regulations against concentration of
ownership removed
Fed regulations include
Equal Time Rule for political candidates
Right of Rebuttal: individuals right to
respond to personal attacks on media
Fairness Doctrine ceased in 1985
Media must give equal time to opposing
sides of broadcasted controversial issues
Organization & Ownership of Media
Number of national news media is small;
But ownership is in the hands of large
conglomerates
National & local news heavily influenced by few
larger voices, eg.
NY Times, Washington Post, CNN
Leads to homogenization of the news & trends
Considerable influence on the political
process
Nationalization of the News
Homogenization of the news in the US
contributes to the nationalization of our political
views
Nationalization of news: mainstream news
National news media cover more or less
same events
Information almost uniformly presented
All seem to draw from each other/ same
source
Alternative sources
Challenges from alternative news sources:
Internet news focus on generating different points of
views, blogs, etc.
Radio & print media aimed exclusively at certain racial
or religious segments of pop
Eg. Some radio programs in Atlanta tried to distort the
Michael Vick’s indictment as racially motivated
People’s Radio Network play to the ultra-conservative
sentiments of mid-westerners
3 Factors influence media coverage
Journalist/news producers
News sources/subjects
The news audience/consumer
Journalists
Views on the news not objective
Journalists interpret & color news with their
own biases
Eg Liberal bias, Conservative bias
Tendencies toward sensationalizing of
reporting the news
Subjects of News
Those who are the subject of the news
also influence news coverage
Politicians cultivate relationships with
reporters in order to portray certain image
During Katrina disaster in New Orleans,
Pres Bush attempted to reverse negative
reports of his handling the disaster by
visiting the area- full media coverage
The Power of Consumers
Media is a business & seeks to make
profits, hence cater to needs of consumers
Media caters heavily to affluent consumers
Upscale Americans are overrepresented
as consumers of news & public affairs
Issues of poverty, lower economic lass
issues receive poor/nil coverage
Media & Conflict
While media is willing to respond to
concerns of the affluent, they are also
obliged to pay attention to protests which is
a means by which the poor can get their
message across